A Long Story Becomes Two
by lostcowgirl
Summary: Two orphan boys complicate Matt and Kitty's lives. An ATC to Season 7's Miss Kitty
1. Chapter 1 Who is Thad Farron

**Chapter 1 – Who is Thad Farron?**

Kitty Russell finally got the chance to sit and talk to Matt Dillon alone after Thad Farron was asleep for the night. They sat at the round table in her rooms sipping brandy and contemplating a night together. She knew she owed him an explanation that went well beyond the questions her recent actions raised. It meant reliving her life in Abilene just before she came to Dodge City, spotted him and decided to stay. She took a deep breadth and cuddled against his bare shoulder, moving closer to his body as they sat side by side on her big brass bed leaning against the headboard with their feet out in front of them.

"Matt, I know I owe you an explanation of my recent trips out of town. I'll start with the easy part. No, Thad's not my son and yes, I killed his father – in self-defense. I've already told you I don't want the reward. You also know enough about my past that it's no surprise I worked in the Silver Slipper in Abilene before coming here. It's where I got to know your friend Bill Hickok and also Tucker Farron and his wife Ellie.

That Abilene saloon was a vast improvement on the New Orleans riverboats and the Alhambra in Laredo where, no thanks to my father, the L'Hommedeus forced me to work and entertain men I would have rather not taken a second look at. I made my way there disguised as a cook's assistant on a cattle drive. If I hadn't managed to escape, I might be dead instead of the owner of the Long Branch. The only thing I'm grateful to the L'Hommedeus and their employees for is they allowed me to work in Abilene for the remainder of the War Between the States. You know that's where I met Sara Baxton and Claire Hollis. Claire and I turned out to be luckier than Sara or Ellie. We kept our independence and escaped the beatings at the hands of husbands who thought they were doing the saloon gal a great favor by marrying her.

Ellie, a girl my age, came to Kansas from Missouri because it offered her a better chance to earn any kind of living then the small town where she grew up. Her family and their farm were wiped out during a fight between Quantrell's Raiders and a bunch of Jayhawkers. We met when Jim Witherspoon hired her despite her lack of experience. We had a lot in common and soon became close friends, sharing everything including the men - locals, cowboys and drifters with reputations for not necessarily being law abiding.

Tucker Farron was one of them and one of the handsomest and most charming. I wasn't fooled, but Ellie was. She was much more accepting and naïve than me, believing him to be her ticket out of the life we led. She easily fell in love with him and, much to my surprise, he proposed. Once they married, his true nature surfaced and, of course, she told me all about it. Despite all my efforts to discourage him, he still tried to pay me for my time. I told him time and again how much I loathed him, which only seemed to challenge him. By the time Ellie could see him for what he was he'd gone off to rob a bank or train somewhere and she was with child. With all the rough treatment he gave her when he was around, it's a wonder Thad was ever born.

Ellie tried desperately to hide the truth from him, but others took it upon themselves to tell Farron he had a son. He confronted her, but by the time he did, I, and some of the other girls, took turns hiding the baby. She began to move around Kansas, hiding the boy in each town. I, meanwhile, decided I'd had enough of the saloon life in Abilene and decided to head west. I was hoping to make my way back to San Francisco where Julie Blane, the woman who, along with her husband, taught me the saloon business at the tender age of 12 at their place in New Orleans have lived since before I was packed off to Texas, but got stuck here instead. I kept in touch with Ellie and would see her whenever I could. I always helped as much as I could with Thad. After I became part owner of the Long Branch I hired her. That's when I really got to know Thad and made my promise to her."

"Kitty, I remember Farron coming into the Long Branch when he passed through Dodge and the look of hate you'd give him whenever he did. I also recall Ellie. She worked for you for a couple of years, but I don't remember her having a son or Farron beating her. I'd have thrown him in jail if he had."

"That's because Farron knew I was close to you and was in awe of my ability to stand up to him. As for Thad, as soon as he came close to school age Ellie and I arranged to send him to live with an old friend of her mother's, whom she'd managed to get in touch with. Mrs. Brinkley had a home in the Missouri side of Kansas City where she taught school after her own children were grown. Her husband ran a wholesale produce business. Ellie left here after a year to be closer to her son. She went to work as a file clerk for Mr. Brinkley's manager. Some of my trips east were to see Ellie and Thad. I never told Farron where she was, although he tried to get it out of me. He must have found her some other way because he beat her to death and Mrs. Brinkley sent Thad to me."

Matt understood the obligation to Thad and his mother as one of responsibility and duty and agreed the arrangement with Horace and Mattie Buckley made perfect sense since they lived on an isolated farm. It was unlikely Farron would find Thad or me there, but he did thanks to pure chance. Kitty's confrontation with him, a man who couldn't believe a woman, even a remarkable one, had the stomach for killing, solved one problem. That left the problem of Thad's future. Kitty, with the help of her closest friends, needed to find the best way to help a boy who already was dealing with more than any ten-year-old should remarkably well grow into the kind of man that would make his mother and foster aunt proud.


	2. Chapter 2 Two Strangers from Texas

**Chapter 2 – Two Strangers from Texas**

Matthew Duffy jumped down from the stage as soon as it stopped and looked about him. He carried a small carpetbag with him as he crossed the street toward the Dodge House as soon as he spotted it. He hardly looked back to see if his uncle Peter Duffy, a man just over six feet in height and of slender build was following. The brown-haired, blue-eyed boy was as excited as only a ten-year-old could be on his first long trip. Dodge City was different from Amarillo but similar too. There were saloons and cowboys and a bank, but its feel was totally strange. The buildings were different, the weather was different; heck, it wasn't Texas.

Peter, carrying the rest of their belongings, joined his nephew on the boardwalk in front of the hotel. After fever had taken both his parents, he sold the small ranch outside Amarillo and came with his only living relative to Dodge City in search of a man – the man who took advantage of his older sister eleven years ago during the war when he was Matthew's age. He believed he'd find that man here in this Kansas cow town and would try every way he could to get him to acknowledge his responsibility to the son he'd fathered. That boy, whose mother died birthing him, was Matthew, his nephew. Peter remembered seeing the soldier with Betsy. He was tall, very tall. He towered over her as he picked her up from the ground, held her for a time and then walked off to join his cavalry unit as if he thought nothing of her. With her dying breath Betsy insisted if it was a boy he be named after that man. Matthew's grandparents didn't stop at that. They made sure the boy knew he had a father and that his name was Duffy until that father claimed him.

Once they were settled in their room, man and boy went for a stroll around the town, Peter didn't ask questions of the desk clerk or the owner of the general store but he did listen for mention of the man he sought. If he didn't spot his quarry or hear word of his position in the town, he'd ask the local law. Then he saw him coming out of the bank and heading for one of the saloons along the main street. Since young Matthew was with him and he didn't know how rough the establishment was, he simply made a mental note of what he'd seen and walked on to what looked like a respectable restaurant. They found a table and were giving their dinner order when the tall man he hoped was the one he'd been looking for entered the restaurant escorting an elegantly dressed and very beautiful woman. Before the waiter could depart to take the couple's order, Peter grabbed his sleeve and asked him who the couple might be and their position in the community.

"Oh, that's Marshal Dillon and Miss Russell. Dodge wouldn't be half livable without them."

While they ate and Peter watched, a boy about the same age as Matthew joined the marshal and his companion, but didn't stay long. They talked quietly and then the boy left when the woman gave him some money. Before he could stop his nephew, young Matthew scrambled from his chair and headed for the door after the other boy. Peter, knowing the boy was lonely, paid their bill and followed his nephew out the door so he wouldn't lose him in the strange town. He soon spotted both boys heading into the general store and crossed the street after them. Just as he reached the entrance to the shop, he saw the couple from the restaurant separate across the alley at the entrance to the saloon, she entered and the tall, imposing man continued on down the street.

Peter continued on into the shop where he knew he'd find the two boys. Now was the time for questions.

"Hello boys. Have you had a chance to learn each other's names yet?"

"We sure have Uncle Pete. His name's Thad Farron. Thad, this here's my uncle, Pete Duffy."

"Pleased to meet you, sir," Thad, a lad with sandy hair, stated as he offered a hand to shake. "I'm glad I met Matthew. We seem to have a lot in common."

"I'm happy Matthew made your acquaintance. All we have in this world is each other and I'm no substitute for another boy his age. I hope you don't thing me forward, but I have a question for you. What's your connection to the two people we saw you talking to in the restaurant?"

"You mean Aunt Kitty and the marshal. I've known Aunt Kitty all my life, but I only met Uncle Matt, I reckon that's what I should call him, about a week ago. He's taken an interest in me 'cause I'm important to Aunt Kitty and she's important to him, but it still feels a bit strange calling him that. I reckon I'm a little in awe of him. He's so big and his reputation's as huge. Besides, he would have arrested my pa if he could on account of he was an outlaw, which I only found out when we buried him. After my father beat my ma for the last time, Aunt Kitty arranged to have me hidden from him like ma did. It didn't work for long this time and she wound up shooting pa to keep him from finding me over at Uncle Horace and Aunt Mattie's farm. I've been in town ever since."

Peter left the two boys to themselves while he sauntered over to the Long Branch next door to think things through over a beer or two and try to gauge what the regulars there thought of the man he was after. Could it be the brash soldier who took advantage of his sister had changed over the years? He hoped to see the man himself in action directly. For now, Peter was content to eavesdrop on conversations. Later, with a bit more to go on, he'd drop by the jailhouse and talk to Thad's "Uncle Matt" to see if he'd resist.

The saloon was nearly empty when Peter entered. The redheaded woman Thad had called Aunt Kitty was sitting at a table going over what appeared to be a business ledger. A tall man with a craggy face was behind the bar and a couple of the tables were occupied with local farmers and ranchers and a few businessmen taking their ease before heading home or back to work. He walked slowly to the bar to talk with the barkeep as he drew that first beer.

"What can I get you, stranger?" the man asked.

"I'll have a beer, thanks. Tell me, is it always this quiet around here and does the owner appreciate it? Could you point him out to me? I might have some business to discuss."

"It's early yet, but people have learned that the marshal likes to keep a tight lid on things. He'll run them out of town before it turns serious if they start anything. Of course, it's a lot livelier at the height of the cattle season with all the cowboys lettin' off steam. Miss Kitty, that's the owner, likes the increased business but could do without the damage they cause. She's the woman sitting over at the back table."

Peter Duffy took his beer to a table between the farmers' and the town businessmen's tables. He was quite surprised that a woman owned this establishment. After seeing them in the restaurant he'd assumed she and the man he now knew to be the marshal, if they ran any business in town, owned it and she was in his employ. He didn't puzzle over it for long. After all, that wasn't why he was here. Instead, he listened to the bits and pieces of conversation he was able to pick up. Whenever they mentioned the man he was after they respected him even when they disagreed with him. There were probably those in the town who hated him, but they clearly weren't currently in this establishment.

Satisfied, Peter, after two beers, was ready to leave the Long Branch to find his nephew. There would be time enough this evening to learn more about the man. He would possibly learn who his closest friends were and observe their character. Absorbed in this thought, he was about to head for the batwing doors when two men pushed through them. One was taller than Peter but not by much and walked with a limp due to a stiff right leg, while the other was short and much older and carried a medical bag. They were deep in the type of teasing conversation that could only occur between two good friends as they passed him and headed for the table where the owner still sat.

Later that evening Peter learned that the two men he'd seen were the marshal's assistant and the town doctor. Both were held in high regard by most of the people around them, although some thought of Chester Goode as somewhat of a bumbling, but well meaning fool. The other was Doctor Adams, a man not only respected, but one everyone depended on in some ways even more than the marshal. These were obviously, from what he heard, close friends with the man he was after. Satisfied he'd learned enough for his first day in Dodge City, Peter Duffy headed across the street to his hotel room where he hoped his nephew was already sound asleep.


	3. Chapter 3 A Quiet Night in Dodge

**Chapter 3 – A Quiet Night in Dodge**

Matt Dillon finished his rounds and returned to the Long Branch just as it was getting ready to close. Sam finished tidying up behind the bar and putting the last of the chairs up on the table before heading out the front door of the saloon, closing and locking the glass doors and heading home. He knew the marshal, who had his own key to the front and back doors, and his boss wanted some private time together so he had no need to stay. The last he saw of the couple was her pouring two glasses of whiskey as they stood at the bar, her behind it and he in front.

Matt accompanied Kitty to her office and waited while she locked up the moneybox in her safe. Then, dousing the light and closing the office door, they returned to the front room to dim the remaining lights and head up the staircase to her rooms, but privately their rooms. They bypassed that door and walked into the room next to it instead. As they looked down on the boy in the bed in the light of the dimmed lamp next to it, he stirred and turned to them.

"I almost fell asleep before you came upstairs. I want to talk to you about a couple of people I met this afternoon in Mr. Jonas' store, Matthew and his uncle, Pete Duffy. They both seemed nice and just got to town today from Amarillo. Matthew's the first boy I've been able to meet since you brought me to town, Aunt Kitty. It's been kind of lonely. At least on the farm I had something to do and people to spend time with even if everyone was older. Here, everybody's so busy they don't have time for me."

"Thad, I'm sorry. I forgot how many changes have occurred in your life in the last few weeks and how alone in the world you are. What is it about these two strangers you want to tell us?"

Thad related the similarities between his life and Matthew Duffy's life; how both boys were the same age and both had only one person they'd known throughout their entire life left. The only difference being that Matthew Duffy's Uncle Pete was his blood uncle and was only ten years older while Thad had no blood relatives remaining. When he was finished talking, Kitty planted a kiss on Thad's forehead as he settled back against the pillow and Matt, knowing it would please Kitty, tucked the covers around him.

Back in their rooms, Matt and Kitty reflected on what Thad had just told them as they prepared for the night in their big brass bed. They knew summer wouldn't last much longer and they, or at least Kitty, had to decide on Thad's future before it was time for school to start. They were still mulling over the problem the orphan boy presented as they got into that bed.

"Kitty, you know when you first brought him to town I told you it would take a lot to raise him. This week proves you can't give him the attention he needs right now and still run the Long Branch. Sending him off to boarding school, where he'll have other boys and a staff to see to his needs takes money, a lot of it. Do you want to do it all with your funds or have you changed your mind about the reward money?"

"I told you, Matt, I don't want any part of that money. I'm not really sure, in any case, if boarding school is the right place for him. Horace and Mattie will be in town in a couple of days to get supplies. I'll talk to them. They've grown quite fond of Thad. I would have left him with them but they live so far out on the prairie and we'd just buried his father there. I didn't know if he would hold up if I left him with them to deal with finding out about his father, so I brought him back to town with me. It's all so confusing. I want to do what's right and at the same time spare him all that I went through after my mother passed on when I was no older than Thad. I promised Ellie I'd keep him safe and now that I've told him all about that piece of filth that fathered him after killing the brute I feel even more of a responsibility toward him. I've been the only constant in his life other than his mother. Even Mrs. Brinkley's only known him for a couple of years."

"Together we can work something out and that's a fact."

"Cowboy, in this case, you saying it's a fact, doesn't make it so. Besides, he's not really your problem as much as he's mine. It's not as if you plan or proposing or anything."

"Honey, even without going through all the reasons we can't marry again, I care about you and want to help as much as I can, so I really do mean we. We don't know what Doc might suggest. Maybe he can come up with something. You could ask Chester for his opinion but he has about as much experience with orphans as I have, maybe less because he had an uncle to raise him and Magnus. All you and I had growing up were strangers."

As Matt finished talking, he pulled Kitty close to him and ran his hands under her light, summer nightgown, caressing her breasts as his lips found hers thus putting an end to all conversation. Before long she was helping him out of his drawers as his hands and mouth explored all her sensitive places. Whatever solution they might find would wait.


	4. Chapter 4 A Plan Is Put in Motion

**Chapter 4 – A Plan Is Put in Motion**

Peter Duffy went to the marshal's office as soon as he and Matthew finished breakfast. He left the boy to search for his new friend while he told his tale to the lawman. Matt wasn't alone when Duffy entered. Doc and Chester were there too and all three were drinking coffee.

"Marshal Dillon," he said to the tall man leaning back in his chair behind the desk. "My name is Peter Duffy and I just arrived in your town yesterday. Perhaps I should come back later when you're alone as what I have to say is rather sensitive."

"You can say whatever it is now. Chester here is my assistant and the older man is our town doctor. He might have to deal with the consequences of what you have to say."

"Well, if you put it like that, I'll have my say. I came to Dodge City in search of the father of my nephew Matthew Duffy. He and I were raised almost as brothers back in Amarillo after his mother, my older sister, died giving birth to him ten years ago when I was only ten. I know Matthew's father is here. I've seen him. All I need is for him to admit it."

"We'll do whatever we can to help. A man should own up to his responsibilities, but maybe he doesn't know he fathered a child. How can you be sure he's even the right man?"

"Have no fears about that Mr. Dillon. I saw him with Amy and she uttered his name with her dying breath. There's no doubt at all. I've found out he has lots of friends mostly because they know him to be a kind and honorable man. Like you said, a man should own up to his responsibilities and from what I hear, he's not the kind to shirk them. Once I spread the word around town, it won't be long before everyone will expect him to acknowledge his son."

Clearly Duffy was finished with all he had to say. He found himself leaving with Chester, who was off to get the marshal's mail and the doctor, who had a patient to see west of town. Things couldn't be better for spreading the word.

"I believe I can reveal the name of the man to the two of you. He's a good friend of yours," Peter said as soon as they were out of earshot of anyone in the jailhouse. His name's Matt Dillon and he was a soldier passing through Amarillo when he had his way with Amy."

"Why didn't you come out with it in Matt's office?" Doc responded. "He gave you the perfect opening when he told you the man might not know. Soldiers don't know when they'll be shipped out, especially in wartime. Matt was a pretty wild kid in his youth, but always honest."

"Now, Doc, forevermore, I can't imagine Mr. Dillon ever trifling with a girl's affections even if he was a bit wild back then. He's too good a man."

"I'm not saying that at all, Chester. Matt may have thought he truly loved her, but once the war forced him to move on, he found someone else he thought he loved. We've met a couple of his former girlfriends. Like him, they've moved on, but they still share a certain fondness for each other. Due to circumstances, Amy Duffy couldn't move on."

Without them noticing, Peter Duffy slipped away. The conversation ended anyway because Chester and Doc had both left the post office and headed in opposite directions. Peter was already at the Dodge House where he met his nephew and Thad, who were sitting on chairs in front of the hotel playing with their pocketknives whenever the morning traffic on the boardwalk allowed. He looked at the two boys and decided to ask Thad's guardian if he might, seeing as how the boys had become friends, take both of them to dinner at Delmonico's. Peter asked the boys to accompany him as he headed across the street toward the Long Branch.

Chester didn't know what to do. He couldn't understand why Duffy didn't confront Mr. Dillon right in the office, but he also didn't know if he should be the one to tell him either. He needed advice and Doc wasn't the one to give it. He was already on his way out of town. Maybe he should ask a woman and he knew just the one to ask. "Yeah," Chester thought, that's what he'd do as soon as he gave his boss his mail and finished any other chores that needed doing around the jailhouse.

An hour later Chester walked into the Long Branch, but didn't see the redheaded owner. Sam, standing behind the bar, seemed free at the moment so he thought he might ask his opinion first, but without mentioning names.

"Sam, I got somethin' that's botherin' me and I thought I might run it by you and Miss Kitty. There's this real good friend of mine who's been accused of doin' somethin' back when he was in the army that coulda, might be considered dishonorable. Should I ask him about it? The one accusin' him had a chance to, but didn't. He did say, though, that he'd spread the word. What I'm wonderin' is if I should tell my friend before it gets all over town?"

"That's quite a problem, Chester. I think the man has a right to know what he's being accused of before he overhears it from a stranger. I'd make time to talk with him privately."

Kitty Russell came out of her office just in time to hear the end of what Sam had to say. She saw Chester nodding as if he still wasn't sure.

"Chester, I only heard the end of what Sam had to tell you, but if you want another person's advice I'd be glad to offer mine."

"Miss Kitty, should I tell a real good friend that someone's tellin' folks that he done somethin' wrong more'n ten years ago?" The fella tellin' people this is a stranger in Dodge and didn't tell my friend when he had the chance. Instead he told me and Doc right after we left the friend."

"I see. Does it involve a man and woman or is it something between two men?"

"It's the result of a man and woman bein' together that my friend is accused of bringin' on."

"In that case, Chester, both Matt and I would tell you, your friend should be told so that he can take on the responsibility he failed to take on earlier. I'm having dinner with Matt and Doc. Why don't you join us and then we can figure out the best way to tell your friend together. If rumors are being spread maybe you should just blurt it out. Something like that is easier when it comes from a friend."

By the time the four friends were seated together in Delmonico's Kitty and Sam knew who Chester's friend was and what he was accused of. Mr. Jonas walked in soon after with Jake Worth, who happened to be in town to discuss some business with the cattle buyer Lyle Kelly. When Kelly walked in right after, the three men headed straight for the table occupied by Kitty, Matt, Chester and Doc before heading to their own table further back in the restaurant.

"Marshal," Jonas blurted out. "You of all people should know that you have to take responsibility for your past, ahem, indiscretions."

"Jonas, just what are you talking about?"

"If you don't know, I'm not gonna be the one to tell you. You have people closer to you than me who can enlighten you."

"What's with him? From the look on their faces, Jake and Kelly appear to agree with what he said."

Kitty glanced at Chester and Doc before she asked, "Matt, have you spoken with a man named Peter Duffy at all? He's Thad's new friend's uncle."

"Yeah, he was in my office this morning and told me he was gonna force the man who fathered his nephew own up to it by spreading the word around town. I think he wants to shame him into taking responsibility for raising the boy. Chester and Doc were there."

"Matt, Doc continued, "the man he was talking about is you. Duffy told all three of us, although he told Kitty after he asked if he could take the boys to dinner and waited until they were gone, and from what happened a moment ago, a whole lot more people in town. Does he have any reason to believe you're the man?"

"Yeah, I reckon he does. I was there to help his sister Amy, but to a boy it musta looked like I was the one who seduced her. As to what he told us she said at the end, he and his people misunderstood. She knew it was Jeb Ivers who took advantage of her and left her when our company pulled out of Amarillo. I tried to stop him from doing more than smoochin'."

"Is that a fact? I can't imagine you never went beyond smoochin' with your previous girlfriends."

"Kitty, that's not what I meant and Doc, quit smirking. I meant Ivers knew he wouldn't be seeing her again and didn't care. We were soldiers and it was wartime and Amarillo wasn't home. She was an innocent farm girl, not an experienced woman. Ivers' pa taught him that women were to be taken if you had a hankerin' for one and if you decided to stick with her and some other man wanted her, you fought him for her. The woman had no say in it."

"I'm sorry I asked," she snapped, rising from the table. "I have to get back to work."

"You've done it again, Mr. Marshal. You managed to insult Kitty while trying to condemn the actions of an unscrupulous young man. I hope she forgives you, because I have a feeling you're gonna need all the friends you can muster, especially her."

Doc was absolutely right. As the afternoon wore on more and more Dodge citizens either snubbed Matt or gave him angry or pitying looks. Peter Duffy's plan was working perfectly. The trouble was Matt wasn't the more mature man guilty of a youthful indiscretion. Had Matthew Duffy really been his son he would have immediately owned up to being his father now that he knew of the boy's existence. Instead, Matt was stuck with bearing the social shunning because he had no other recourse. He wished he did, but he had no idea where Ivers was. If he did, he'd force the young man to listen. Even with all the hoorahing, what really bothered the marshal was that he'd put his foot in his mouth with Kitty again.

It was well after dark before Matt was able to see Kitty when she was alone. He found her in her rooms taking a breather. Although she told him to go away, he didn't listen and came in anyway.

"Kitty, I know you're mad at me and you have every right to be. You have to believe I didn't mean things the way they came out."

"Maybe deep down you do, Matt Dillon. Could be your marriage to that badge is just an excuse."

"You can't really believe that. You know I'd do anything I can for you, but my job is just too chancy to allow me to have a family as much as I want one with you. That doesn't mean if you decide to raise Thad here I won't help. There are things only a man can teach a boy."

"Helping me with Thad is no more than what you'd do for any boy who lives in this town and looks up to you. What about the Duffy boy? Would you help raise him?"

"I can't do that. It would be unfair to let the boy believe I'm his pa just because most of the town believes it. He's got blood kin, although, if Duffy asked me to, I'd trace down Ivers and see if he's even still alive. Thad has no blood kin and you made a promise to his ma. He's different from the other boys in town because he's important to you. That makes him important to me."

"I'm willing to accept that, but what if you really were either boy's father? Would you forget about your notion that the badge and a family don't mix? Since we're being hypothetical now, what if our precautions didn't work?"

"Kitty, of course we'd get married then. I'd quit my job and we'd settle on a ranch somewhere. I'd never leave you to raise our child alone."

"I believe you, but I'm not sure I'd want to marry you if the only reason was you felt obligated because of a child. Matt, you're a good man, I wouldn't love you if I didn't believe that but you're stubborn, especially when it comes to marriage and that badge of yours."

"I've told you how it is with me from the beginning. Someday, if I live long enough to be able to retire, we'll get married, but it's too dangerous for you now and I can't risk leaving a widow and orphans."

"I'm tired of arguing with you, but what about the Duffy boy? Who is this Jeb Ivers and what's the whole story with you, him and Amy Duffy? Later we can talk about Thad."

Matt's story of Jeb Ivers was long in the telling. They became friends because they were thrown together in the army during the war and shared a certain wild streak. However, when it came to his attitude toward girls and women Ivers was just the opposite of Matt Dillon. While Matt was raised to always put a woman's wishes before his own as much as possible, Jeb was taught that all females belonged to their menfolk, who had the obligation to fight for them if challenged. Matt had to be sure a woman was interested as he in taking a relationship to full physical intimacy. She had to understand just what she was getting herself into. If he felt a strong enough need, there were plenty who were willing to sell that intimacy. Jeb felt if he wanted a woman she was his for the taking, paid for or not. Of course, he'd never marry any of the ones he paid for or others had paid for. If she weren't one of those, he'd fight for her if she had a man and the pull toward her was strong enough. When and if he married, it would be because she could provide all his needs when he wanted them without question and bare his children.

Amy Duffy was an innocent girl of 16 who lived with her parents and younger brother Peter on a small farm outside Amarillo. She was nowhere near sophisticated enough in the ways of the world to realize what she might be getting into. Jeb Ivers and Matt Dillon were privates in the cavalry whose unit was patrolling the panhandle in search of rebel troops and hostile Indians. They remained in the town for only a week and then were deployed westward toward New Mexico and northward toward Kansas. Jeb was taken with the pretty girl enough to want to try to seduce her, but not enough to worry about the consequences and Matt knew it. He saw that the girl was falling for him and followed them to do what he could. Matt would have completed his tale, but when he started describing what Amy Duffy and Jeb Ivers were doing when he came upon them, the beautiful redhead in the room with him proved to be too much of a distraction.


	5. Chapter 5 A New Day and a Dance

**Chapter 5 – A New Day and a Dance**

When Kitty awoke the next morning Matt was already gone. She knew he'd be very busy with all the people coming to town to join in on the July Fourth celebrations, but despite what might go wrong, they planned to spend as much of the day as possible enjoying themselves. While the afternoon would include a picnic lunch with Doc, Chester and Thad, supper at Delmonico's would be just the two of them. After supper they'd watch the fireworks along the river before he escorted her to the barn dance. Meanwhile, she had a business to run. There was a lot to do if she planned on taking most of the day and evening off.

While she and Sam worked to make sure all the kegs of beer and bottles of whiskey they might need were readily available and that her employees had enough time to enjoy the holiday celebration while still providing enough coverage to keep her customers happy, Kitty thought about her conversation with Matt the night before and about Thad's future. Matt was right. She had to decide soon whether he would remain with her in the room she'd given him at the Long Branch or go to boarding school. She didn't feel she could impose any further on Horace and Mattie. Although they'd come to genuinely like the boy during his short stay with them, her bringing him to them had brought them more trouble than they, decent folks that they were, deserved. She'd chased them from their home to go into hiding while she dealt with Tucker Farron, Thad's father. Then, after she killed him, helping to bury him.

Finally, she turned to preparing the baskets for the picnic lunch over by the church. She filled one with enough for Doc and Chester, and given Chester's appetite, another filled with an equal amount for her, Matt and Thad. She packed fried chicken, hardboiled eggs, ham and roast beef sandwiches and two peach pies. She also planned on a pail of beer and a couple of sarsaparillas for Thad. Perhaps it was too much food, but she was sure it wouldn't go to waste as many of the poorer families might not be able to bring enough to fill their children's bellies. She'd just closed the lid when Matt walked in with Chester and Doc.

Thad was nowhere to be seen. He'd left not long after breakfast. He joined them at the picnic, but he was with Peter and Matthew Duffy. Since they had plenty of food, Kitty, for Thad's sake, invited the Duffys to join them. It was a huge mistake. Conversation was forced, but polite, yet everyone managed to eat the food. It wasn't until the pies were almost gone that the mood turned ugly.

"Marshal, now that I know your name, I want to know why you don't claim me as your son. I'm named for you and my grandma and grandpa always told me Uncle Pete here wasn't wrong to think of you as the one who abandoned my ma. They think she might have lived had you been there. Now that people in this town know the truth, they won't respect you anymore. Except for your flunky, the town doctor and Thad's aunt, nobody wants to be seen with you anymore and I don't see why the doc and her are exceptions."

"Matthew, they're with me because they know me well enough to believe that I'd claim you as my own if it were true. I can't give you my name. It would be dishonest."

"I'm through calling you Uncle Matt even if it makes Aunt Kitty happy," Thad added. "Aunt Kitty if you're gonna continue to be close to him, I don't want to be close to you. You can send me away for as long as it takes for you to stop being a fool about him. I reckon he's no better than my pa was."

Matt was about to insist Thad apologize for his disrespect, not to him, but to Kitty. The boy could hate him, but he should never call her a fool. He didn't get the chance. He ran off with Matthew Duffy before Matt could open his mouth, giving Peter Duffy a chance to get in a final word before he too left, but not before thanking Kitty for the food.

"Dillon, you deserve to have your face rubbed in the dirt. You're nothing but a hypocrite. From your reputation, I thought you might be a decent man who made a youthful mistake, but you've proven to be what I thought you were when I was Matthew's age. I'm a Texan so I can handle myself with a gun. The next time I see you, I'll be gunning for you and I doubt anyone but the people at this table will back you."

Doc and Chester offered to take the baskets back to the Long Branch while Matt and Kitty roamed around the area where the booths and contests were. Their mood was gloomy and Matt kept glancing about for any sign of Duffy. Citizens who would have warmly greeted the couple a few days before nodded politely to Kitty if they didn't snub her along with Matt. They were about to head back to the Long Branch when they nearly collided with Horace and Mattie Buckley.

"Kitty, Marshal, what's going on? We just saw Thad. He was with a young friend and both seemed rather upset."

"Thad's friend is at the heart of it. His friend Matthew's uncle has decided Matt is the scum of the earth and wants to shoot him and both boys feel the same way. We were talking about Thad's future but Thad has practically made that decision for us even though I'm still not sure it's the best I could do for him."

"We thought we would talk with you about just that while we were in town for the holiday and before we headed home with our supplies tomorrow. We grew quite fond of Thad while you and he were staying with us out on the farm and were wondering if you'd be agreeable to letting him come live with us," Mattie told them.

"Are you sure you want to do that after all the trouble I brought to you? It's bad enough you had to bury his father on your farm after I killed him."

"Kitty, think nothing of it. We sure don't," Horace replied. "It might even be good for him to have his father buried near where he grows up to connect his past with his future."

Mattie added, "Of course living so far out like we do, we'd have to home school him so he wouldn't see other boys his age except when we came to town. Still, he might make friends with our nearest neighbors kids and would have plenty of chores to keep him busy as well as having us to turn to when he's troubled."

The four people set out in search of Thad Farron and agreed to meet back at the Long Branch in two hours. They would let Thad decide if he preferred the Buckley farm to staying in town or going to boarding school.

When the two hours were up, the two couples sat at a table in the Long Branch but without Thad. He'd agreed to have supper with the Buckleys but didn't want to face "Aunt Kitty" until tomorrow. If nothing happened on his early rounds, Kitty convinced Matt that the best place he could be was in the crowd with the other citizens gathered for the evening's entertainment. It would leave little opportunity for Peter Duffy to call Matt out. He could look for signs of trouble and keep things from getting out of hand too.

Supper together in Delmonico's relaxed Matt somewhat since they were tucked in at a corner table away from the rest of the restaurant's patrons. They took their time eating and then leisurely strolled toward the river to view the fireworks. Still, Matt kept alert, his ever restless clear, blue eyes darting into every shadow looking for any sign of Duffy. The sound of gunpowder going off was thankfully limited to the fireworks and he even managed to enjoy the display somewhat. Maybe they'd get through the night unscathed.

Doc and Chester were already at the dance when Matt and Kitty arrived, as were the Buckleys and Duffys. Horace and Mattie appeared to be without Thad, who was back with Matthew Duffy by the food table eyeing the cake. Instead, the older couple was chatting with a younger couple, strangers in town, although Matt felt there was something familiar about the man. They appeared to be around the same age as he and Kitty. He knew Kitty had been looking forward to one of those few times he actually attended a social occasion as planned and he wasn't about to disappoint her this late in the evening. He led her onto the dance floor as soon as the band began to play. They joined a square with the Bodkins, Jonas and his wife and Chester, who was partnered with Mindy Glover, the feed and grain store owner's daughter. When Doc stopped calling to rest his voice, Matt escorted Kitty to the refreshments and a seat.

The night sped by. Matt even managed a few waltzes before his need to watch for Duffy caused him to step on Kitty's toes one too many times. It hardly mattered, since the band was pretty much played out by that time and people were beginning to drift toward home or their hotel rooms. The barn was nearly deserted by the time Matt walked Kitty home. Sam had relieved Clem behind the bar a couple of hours earlier and was closing up the saloon for the night when they arrived. Kitty sent him on his way. She was through the batwing doors just ahead of Matt when a shadow detached itself from the darkness of the alley where the stairs to Doc's office were.

"Be warned, Matt Dillon. I'll give you the rest of tonight with your dancehall girl, but you'll be facing me in the morning," a sneering Peter Duffy promised.


	6. Chapter 6 Matters Are Settled

**Chapter 6 – Matters Are Settled**

July 5th dawned bright and clear, but it was quite late in the morning by the time Matt and Kitty were awake and seated at their favorite table drinking coffee. Thad came through the batwing doors with Horace and Mattie Buckley and sullenly sat down with them at the table. The boy came because he knew his future was being discussed and he wanted to make sure they understood how he felt. He needed them to understand his desire was to have nothing, or at least as little as possible, to do with his Aunt Kitty's lawman friend.

"Thad, if Kitty is willing as your official guardian and you agree to it, we'd like to raise you as our own out on our farm. It would mean most of your schooling would be from Mattie except for what I can teach you about farming. We'd want to legally adopt you," Horace explained.

"I'd like that a whole lot, Uncle Horace, Aunt Mattie. I reckon I'd have to start calling you ma and pa once it's official."

"That certainly would be fine, if you feel comfortable with it all Thad," Mattie replied. "Kitty, it appears Thad likes our idea. What do you think?"

"It's better than what I can offer him – boarding school or what little time I can spend raising him, although, if you were troubled about something, Thad, I'd make time to listen. You have to know that. I'm not pushing you away and will visit you on the farm and spend time with you whenever you're in town. You can always go to Matt for advice if he's available."

"I know you care about me Aunt Kitty or you wouldn't want anything to do with me after the way I acted toward you yesterday. I'm real sorry about that. I'll be happy to see you as often as possible. I just don't want to see Marshal Dillon, a man who won't even acknowledge his own son," he added as if Matt wasn't sitting right there. "My pa may have been an outlaw and cruel, but at least he cared enough about me to try and find me."

"Thad, your father didn't love you. You were only another possession to him. Just like your mother was. If he had loved you, he wouldn't have beaten your mother to death because she loved you enough to keep you safe. I know the kind of man your mother wished you to become, the exact opposite of your father and more like Matt. She didn't want you to experience the kind of influence a man like your father would have on you. Horace and Mattie will continue to raise you so you grow into a good man and that includes respecting others. You owe Matt an apology. I know you think he's being hateful to your friend, but he has very sound reasons for not claiming Matthew as his. I hope both of you realize sooner rather than later that Matt's decision is for Matthew's sake, not his."

Despite Kitty's admonishment, Thad refused to apologize. Instead, he continued to ignore Matt as they walked out of the saloon and across the alley so the Buckleys could load their wagon with supplies before the three of them headed home. When all of them entered the general store another couple was already keeping Mr. Jonas busy. The man happened to look up as they entered. He walked hesitantly up to Matt and offered his hand.

"Mister, you look very much a fella I knew in the army in Texas back during the war. I don't know what you'd be doing in Kansas and as a marshal at that, but there can't be many as tall as him who came to the army from a deputy's job. The fella's name was Matt Dillon. That wouldn't be you, would it?"

"I'm Matt Dillon, but you've got me at a disadvantage. I thought you looked familiar at the dance last night, but couldn't place you."

Jeb Ivers supplied Matt with his name and promptly introduced his wife, Millie. Matt, in turn, supplied the names of all the people with him, including Doc, who had come down the stairs from his office. He also told him about Matthew Duffy and his Uncle Pete, just as Thad, who was helping to load both families' wagons, came back inside. With his usual "See ya, later," Matt left the two farmers and the women talking with Mr. Jonas and Doc to see if Chester was in the office and had managed to get around to getting the mail. He'd just passed the Long Branch when he heard his name shouted by a man standing 30 yards farther along Front Street.

"Dillon, your time's up! Are you ready to at the very least give your boy your name or are ya gonna draw?"

"Duffy, I'm not gonna own up to something that's not true. Matthew's father is here in town, but it's not me. I'm telling you the truth and if you wait, maybe he can convince you."

Pete Duffy didn't wait. Instead he went for his gun. He was quick, but Matt was just a shade faster and more accurate. Matt's bullet struck his gun arm causing his aim to be off enough so Matt was only creased in the left shoulder before the force of Matt's bullet caused Duffy to drop his gun. The gunshots brought Dodge City's citizens out of the shops and saloons to see what was happening. Kitty ran straight to Matt's side while Doc, after Matt waved him off, went to Duffy, who was now standing holding his arm. Thad and Matthew, who'd watched the fight from an alley next to the Dodge House, came out from the shadows. The Buckleys and Ivers soon joined them. Ivers took one look at the brown-haired Matthew and saw the resemblance right away.

"Son, now that I know you exist, I've got something to tell you and your uncle," he informed Matthew. No matter what you might think, Matt Dillon ain't your pa. It's just as he told you, I am. I was a different man back then and thought women were for the taking if you fancied them. What they wanted was of no account. In the case of your ma, I half convinced her she wanted me, but she wasn't too keen on gettin' more physical without us marryin' up. I sure enough wanted all of her before our unit pulled out, so I forced myself on her and had my way with her, although, I gotta say in my defense, she wasn't completely unwillin'. You were the result. Matt got there just a bit too late, but, even so, she was grateful for his help once the impact of what we'd done hit her. That's what you saw and why his name was on her lips as she birthed you."

"Why should I believe you? I know the marshal talked to you in the store. He must have told you to back him up."

"Matthew," Thad called as he moved closer to his friend's side. "You can believe him. Heck, even I can see you kinda look like him. The marshal didn't even recognize him at first. He had to tell Uncle Matt his name was Ivers from back in Amarillo during the war. Uncle Matt, I'm sorry I doubted you're the man Aunt Kitty always said you were. I should have realized that because of how she feels about you compared to how she felt about my father. Hope you don't mind me calling you Uncle Matt," he added as Matt nodded his consent.

Two weeks went by during which time Matt and Jeb Ivers caught up on each other's lives. He and Millie also spent time with Matthew and his Uncle Pete, whose arm was out of the sling within a week. Thad came back into town with Horace and Mattie the day Judge Brookings was to finalize their adoption of Thad. It was also the day Matthew Duffy would officially take on his father's name. They gathered in the judge's room at the Dodge House along with Matt and Kitty.

"Unless you folks want to make this more formal than need be, I'm willing to sit and listen to why these two boys should have new names. We'll begin with the adoption of the orphan Thad Farron. Miss Kitty, from the papers I have, it's apparent his mother gave you guardianship upon her death and that his father is also verifiably deceased. You needn't go into details of how this came about, but I'd like to know how the Buckleys came to be caring for young Thad."

In as few sentences as possible Kitty told about hiding Thad at the Buckley's farm to fulfill her promise to his dying mother to keep his father from finding him. She also stated that as an unmarried woman running a saloon she wasn't in the best position to properly raise a young boy. Then the Buckleys told of their growing attachment to the lad and Thad agreed that he wanted to become a member of their family.

"I wish all adoptions were so simple. Thad, from this day forth you are Thad Buckley and all official records will be changed to indicate the same. Now, as I understand it, this is not quite the case with Matthew Duffy. Peter Duffy, as the boy's blood uncle, I'd like to hear from you first. Please explain the circumstances of his birth and how this brought you to Dodge City."

"I was just Matthew's age, 10 years old, when I saw my sister with a man. I assumed from what I saw that the man was Matthew's father because my sister was not the kind to run around with a lot of men. Besides, she spoke his name with her dying breath while birthing him, or so my mother told me. I was raised believing the tall young soldier I saw was indeed the one. When my folks passed I sold off our small Texas farm outside Amarillo and using the money from the sale to live on, set out in search of the man. Once we reached Dodge City and I heard his name and saw him I became convinced Matt Dillon was that man. Based on his reputation I expected him to acknowledge his son and take responsibility for raising him. I reckoned I'd stay close and get some job nearby; maybe settle down with a local girl. Marshal Dillon denied my claim and said someone else was Matthew's father. I didn't believe him, but what he told me turned out to be true."

After Matt related how Jeb Ivers suddenly appeared in town with his wife Millie, Jeb took over the telling. He began by saying how wild he was as a youth and what he thought about a woman's place back when he and Matt were in the army and found themselves in Amarillo.

"Matt had his wild side too back in those days, but unlike me, he was brought up to respect women of all sorts. I thought even a good girl like Amy Duffy was for the taking and that's just what I did while Matt tried to pick up the pieces of the mess I'd made by consoling her that the war permitting I'd return to her. By the time we got out of the army I didn't give Amy a second thought. There were too many others who came after her. I felt that way until I met Millie. She spurned my advances until I could show her I was a responsible man. I reckon the challenge she represented along with her charming ways and good looks made me fall head over heels in love with her, so much so that I couldn't treat her as anything less than the jewel she is even after she accepted me. A few months back, after looking for a suitable place to settle, we bought a farm southwest of Dodge. When I saw Matt in the general store it was our first trip into town since we settled on the place. We thought the July Fourth festivities were a good chance to get to know the nearest town and get our supplies. Matt was already dealing with Peter and Matthew Duffy's mistaken beliefs. When things got out of hand, I collaborated what Matt had told them. Mattie and I have spent these past two weeks getting to know my son and his uncle."

Upon hearing from Mattie, Peter and Matthew that they had indeed formed a family unit on the Ivers' farm, Judge Brookings granted the paternity petition from Jeb Ivers. It was still early in the day, so everyone in the room, except the judge agreed to have dinner at Delmonico's.

Dinner was a relaxed affair, but with the distance the Buckleys in particular had to travel, they brought it to a close. Matt and Kitty exchanged farewells with the two families. The boys vowed to see each other as often as possible despite living in opposite directions from Dodge City as did the parents. Pete Duffy, who had apologized to Matt while Doc was treating his arm after the gunfight, was happy to give his nephew's new family the extra help they needed with the farm since they were relatively new to farming out west. It didn't hurt that their nearest neighbor had a most eligible daughter whom Pete was already sweet on and she on him. Of course, whenever either or both families were in town they would spend time with Matt and Kitty and Kitty, the woman he'd known all his life, would continue to be Aunt Kitty to Thad in more than just name.


End file.
